


Out Of Sight and None Shall See

by Inkyrius



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-07 01:51:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15208229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkyrius/pseuds/Inkyrius
Summary: After a battle, Midori finds Ophelia crying.





	Out Of Sight and None Shall See

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aroberuka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aroberuka/gifts).



By now, Midori was pretty sure she could walk the path to the medical tent in her sleep. The beauty of the castle had long since worn off. She mostly just let her mind wander, thinking of new recipes or her next herb gathering expedition or just how nice it was to be out of her Deeprealm.

That wasn’t to say she was completely out of it. She tried to acknowledge the people she passed, even those she didn’t know very well. And when she heard, say, the sound of someone crying, she was alert and scanning the area before she fully registered what she was hearing.

It took her a moment to find the source of the sobs. Someone was sitting at the base of a tree, their head bowed and their arms around their knees. Midori realized with a jolt that it was Ophelia.

Midori wasn’t entirely sure what to do. Ophelia was normally so dramatic, and there was something unnerving about seeing her so subdued. She couldn’t just leave her alone, though, especially not after Ophelia had gone to such lengths to comfort her. It wasn’t like this batch of medicines was particularly urgent.

As Midori got closer, Ophelia’s head whipped up, and she scrubbed at her face frantically. She forced a smile. “Oh, hey, Midori,” she said. Her voice was pitched and panicky. “What’s up?”

“Are you okay?” Midori asked.

Ophelia waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, of course, I’m fine. How about you? I mean, how’s your day going? The weather is so nice today.” She made a sound that might charitably have been called a laugh.

Midori’s frown deepened. “We’re on the Astral Plane, it’s always nice. And anyway, you don’t look fine. And you haven’t even said anything about chosen-ness or destiny.”

“Maybe I decided you were right. I mean, it was kind of childish.” Ophelia’s grip on her legs tightened. “I mean, me, chosen? Who was I trying to fool?”

“Um.” Midori fought the urge to panic. She didn’t know how to handle mental distress, but if it was anything like a physical malady, it was important that you acted like everything was fine. She sat down next to Ophelia gingerly. “Did something happen?”

Ophelia mumbled something inarticulate. When Midori didn’t react, she sighed. In a flat voice, she said, “In the last battle, my father was hurt pretty badly. He could have died.” Midori sucked in a breath. “He’s okay now. Princess Elise got to him in time. But if she hadn’t been there…”

“I’m so sorry,” Midori said. It sounded weak even to her. “You must have been so scared,” she added, which wasn’t much better.

At least Ophelia didn’t seem to mind. “I was,” she said. She looked up at the sky, refusing to meet Midori’s eyes. “He did it for me, you know. There was an arrow coming towards me, and I didn’t even notice it until he’d jumped in front of it. He didn’t even hesitate.

“What kind of a chosen one makes a stupid mistake like that? How can I pretend I have some great destiny when I can’t even protect the people I care about the most?” Her voice cracked. “I should just admit it. I’m not special. I’m just a failure.”

“I’m sorry,” Midori said again. “But if it helps, I don’t think you’re a failure.”

Ophelia made a sound somewhere between a scoff and a sob. “Why not? It seems pretty clear to me.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, Ophelia. Even on the battlefield. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen plenty of times.” Midori ran a hand over her vials absently. “I mean, why do you think I work so hard to make my medicines? I know people are going to get hurt. It’s my job to make sure that doesn’t ruin everything.”

“Great, so I’m just making more work for you? That’s the last thing I want.” She shook her head. “It would have been better if Corrin had sent anyone else out there instead of me. I should just leave before I get anyone else hurt.”

“That’s not what I meant! I wasn’t trying to blame you or anything, honest!” Midori took a deep breath. “But anyway, even if you refused to fight anymore, no one would want you to leave. I mean, who keeps Forrest from spending way too much money on even more clothes? Who encourages Sophie to become a legendary hero? Who keeps me from getting too caught up in my work when it feels everything is pain and suffering?

“The fact is, Ophelia, no one thinks of you as a failure. Even if you weren’t chosen by destiny, we all like you and want you around. You’re smart, and funny, and always so positive Even if you can’t believe that you’re special, you’re special to me, and even if it’s because of the war I’m so glad we got to meet.

“It’s okay to be upset because of your dad. That sounds really scary, and I know you wish you could have protected him. But I don’t think he’d blame you, and you shouldn’t keep blaming yourself.”

Midori realized Ophelia hadn’t said anything in a while and shut her mouth, fighting a blush. She hadn’t meant to monologue like that. That was normally Ophelia’s specialty, after all.

Speaking of Ophelia, Midori realized that she was getting distracted. She pulled herself back to focus on Ophelia’s face. She looked a little dazed, but she was finally willing to look Midori in the eyes, and she wasn’t crying anymore. Midori would consider that a victory.

After a silence just long enough to become awkward, Ophelia asked, “What was that about being special to you?”

Midori bit her lip. That had probably been too far, now that she thought about it. She’d been too caught up in the moment. She’d wanted to reassure Ophelia the way Ophelia had so often reassured her, but it was kind of unfair to drop something like that when Ophelia was freaking out about something else. There was only one logical way to handle the situation. “What was what?”

Ophelia stretched her legs out in front of her. “You can’t deceive Ophelia Dusk! Just as I can read the truth in the stars, so too can I read it in your eyes.”

Well, if she felt good enough to start another of her scenes, Midori’s job here was done. She stood up abruptly. “This has been fun, but I really need to go deliver these medicines. I’ll see you around!”

“Ah, of course. I wouldn’t dream of keeping a heroine such as you from your divinely appointed duties.” Midori chose to interpret that as a dismissal and began to walk away, only to stop short when Ophelia called her name. “And Midori? You’re special to me, too.”

Midori didn’t turn back around, not wanting Ophelia to see how red her face was. It wasn’t like she could think of anything to say to that.

After a moment, she started walking again. She really did need to get to the medical tent.

And if she spent the rest of the walk daydreaming about Ophelia’s smile, that was entirely her own business.


End file.
